Wall facing



Oct. 28, 1958- L. H. BOULTCJN 5 5 WALL moms Filed Dec. 21, 1955 //I /l ///l 4 33 INVENTOR. 15 16 57 3 15 we a dew/am J 2045 7 fmw/ United States Patent WALL FACING Leslie H. Boulton, Niles, Mich., assignor to Kawneer Company, Niles, Micl1., a corporation of Delaware Application December 21, 1955, Serial No. 554,488

4 Claims. (Cl. 18988) The present invention relates to construction materials and more specifically to an anchor clip for securing facing panels to one or more furring strips.

Facing materials of the type shown in Patent No. 2,620,906, Ketchum, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, are widely used for many and varied purposes but are particularly adapted for use as store facing material comprises interengaging sheet metal panel fronts, interior and exterior Walls, etc. This type of sections which are secured to a support wall by suitable means such as, for example, mounting or anchor clips which are slidably received in furring strips attached to the wall.

In order to provide an appreciation of the problems arising in the fabrication of a wall facing utilizing this type of panel construction, the steps which are taken in applying such a facing material to a supporting wall will be briefly described. Accordingly, after the wall has been erected, a plurality of furring strips are secured to the supporting wall by means of suitable fastening devices such as, for example, threaded screws which are secured to the wall through apertures arranged along the web of the furring strips. For a vertical arrangement of the facing, the furring strips are secured in a horizontal position. Then, beginning at one side of the wall to be covered, a panel section is positioned against the furring strips and anchor clips are respectively placed in each furring strip and attached to the free edge of the panel. Another panel section is then placed next to and inter locked with the free edge of the first panel and so as to cover the anchor clips, and the free edge of the second panel is attached to the furring strips by means of additional anchor clips. The second panel is then slidably moved along the furring strips up tight against the first panel, and this procedure is continued until the entire wall is covered.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved anchor clip for facilitating the attachment of facing material to a supporting structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved anchor clip which is readily attachable to a furring strip and which is provided with resilient portions for firmly engaging the free edge of a panel section to permit adjustability of the panels along the furring strips after the clips have been attached to the panels and to the furring strips.

Briefly, in accordance with the present invention there is provided an anchor clip consisting of a rigid center section having a pair of spring retaining wings extending therefrom for frictionally securing the clip to a furring strip and a pair of offset jaws for resiliently engaging the panel section near the free edge thereof to prevent tilting of the clip as an assembled panel is moved along the furring strips.

The invention, both as to its organization and use, together with further objects and advantages thereof will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a portion of a wall facing mounted in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an anchor clip embodying the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary and partiallly sectional view of an assembly including an anchor clip and associated furring strip;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the assembly of Fig. 3 taken along the line 44 of the figure; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the assembly along line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and showing, in addition, fragmentary parts of an interlocked panel section.

In installing the facing material disclosed in the present application, the individual panel sections 10 are mounted on and secured to a supporting structure 11 which, as shown, is a wall, but which may be any other suitable support member. Each panel section may consist of a generally flat panel having a number of regularly spaced channel-like outer portions 12 extending longitudinally of the panel spaced apart by inner surfaces 13, and the walls 1.4 of the channel-like portions may be at an obtuse angle with respect to the surfaces 12 and 113. Adjacent panel sections are interlocked by tongue and socket structures. Accordingly, one edge of a panel section is provided with an inclined wall 15 terminating in a flat tongue 16 provided with a perpendicular inwardly extending flange 18. The fiat tongue 16 is preferably of greater width than the lower face surfaces 13 of the channels to provide a marginal sealing surface on the tongue 16 adapted to be received in the socket structure of an adjoining panel.

The socket structure is provided on the opposite edge of each panel section. It includes a short. inwardly extending end wall portion 20, a reversely extending wall portion 21 generally parallel to but spaced from the overlying channel portion 12, a second short inwardly extending wall portion 22, and a forwardly extending wall portion 23 generally parallel to and spaced from the wall portion 21. The wall portion 23 terminates in a short forwardly extending flange or lip 24 located laterally somewhat beyond the end-wall portion 20 and has a length somewhat shorter than wall portion 22.

The socket 19 is thus provided by the wall portions 21, 22, 23 and the flange 24, so that the tongue 16 of an adjacent panel section can readily be inserted into the socket and the construction is such that the outer surface of tongue 16 is maintained in sealing relationship against the inner surface of wall portion 21.

The panel sections are secured to the wall 11 by means of a plurality of channel type furring strips 26 which may be mounted on the wall 11 in any convenient manner such as, for example, by means of a plurality of round headed screws 27 which are inserted in spaced apertures in the web portions 28 of the furring strips. In addition to the web portion 28, the furring strips 26 each include a pair of side flanges 29 having re-entrant lips 30- at the free edges thereof which define an elongated slot 32 in each furring strip. The strips are located horizontally for vertically aligned sections, as shown, but they may be located vertically for horizontally aligned panel sections, or at other angles, if desired.

The furring strips 26 are adapted to receive a number of anchor clips 31 of the present invention. Each clip is a stamping punched out of a single sheet of metal and formed to include a mounting portion adapted functionally to be mounted in the furring strip and a panel engaging portion for attachment of the panel sections. More specifically, the panel engaging portion of each anchor clip 31 includes a pair of upstanding and spaced apart flanges 33 and 34 which provide resiliently opposed offset jaws for engaging the coupling socket structure of a panel section, whereby each panel section is positively secured to respective ones of the anchor clips 31 which, in turn, are attached' to the furring strips 26. The attachment of the clips to the strips is effected through the-opposed wing sections 35. This construction enables the facing material to be slidably moved along the furring strips after it has been clipped thereto because the offset flanges prevent the clips from tilting and becoming jammed in the furring strips.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 2, it may be noted that the anchor clip 31 includes an arcuate center portion 36 having adownwardly directed concave surface for clearing the heads ofthe screws'27 so as to permit slidable engagement of the clips 31 along the furring strips-26. Each'of the clips 31 is held in place within the furring strips 26 by means of the pair of outwardly and upwardly extending spring retaining'wings 35 which are spaced fro-m the sides of the arcuate portion 36 by means of a pair of flat web portions 37 which provide added resiliency for the wings 35. .In order to provide a more rigid center or body portion for the clip 31, there is provided a pair of ribs 38 which slope downwardly from the arcuate portion 36 toward the wings 35, Since the metal from which the clip31 is formed is somewhat flexible and the ribs terminate at the lines of demarcation 39 between the wings 35 and the webs 37, the wings 35 are resilient and when the clips 31 are positioned within the furring strips 26, the upper convex surfaces ofthe wings 35 frictionally engage the inner surfaces of the lips'30 and the lower surface of the webs 37 frictionally engage the web 28 of the furring strip 26, thereby to exert a high degree of friction and secure the clips in position in the furring strips 26 so as to prevent undesired movement thereof with respect to the strips.

Each anchor clip 31 is, as briefly noted above, provided with the upstanding flanges 33 and 34 disposed at opposite ends of the arcuate portion 36, both flanges 33 and 34 extending outwardly beyond the lips 30 for engaging the panel section near the free edge thereof. The flange 34 has an arcuate upper edge 40 for engagement with the inner or under surface of wall portion 23 of a panel section 10, and as best shown in Fig. 3, in order to prevent splitting of the flange 34 during manufacture of the clip 31, the center section of the flange 34 is bowed outwardly a slight amount. As shown in Fig. 5, the flange 34 engages the panel 10 and thus maintains the portion 23 spaced from the furring strip 26. A pair of reversely bent lips 42 and 43 are provided on the flange 33 to overlap and engage the outer edge of the flange 24'of the panel section thereby resiliently to urge the portion 23 of the panel 10 against the edge 40 of the flange 34. Consequently, the engagement of the flange 33-.with, the inner surface of the panel 10 prevents the clip 31 from tilting in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 5, when the positions of the panels 10 are adjusted by'movement thereof to the left with respect to the furring strips 26.

The flange 33 is bent at a slight acute angle toward the center of the clip 31 to move the gripping portion of the lips 42 and 43 as close as possible to the center of the clip 31 to minimize tilting thereof inthe furring strips 26'as the clip 31 is slidably moved therealong. Moreover, the inclination of the flange 34 gives it added rigidity. Also, the flange 33 is bifurcated to give added resiliency to the lips 42 and 43 and also to insure at least a two point engagement of the clips 31 with the flange 24 of the panel 10.

Lateral movement of the panel sections 10 with respect to the anchor. clips 31 to which they are secured is prevented by means of angulated crimped portions 45 and 46 which arerespectively provided on the lips 42 and 43 intermediate the ends thereof so that the free edges of the lips 42 and 43 extend upwardly beyond the flat outer surface of the lips 42 and 43 thereby resiliently to engage and thus urge the tongue 16 of the overlying panel 10 into sealing engagement with the portion 21 of the underlying panel 10. Moreover, the ends 47 and 48 of the respective lips 42 and 43 extend transversely from the principal plane of the furring strips 26 to which they are attached so that after a clip is placed in the furring strip 26 it may be facilely attached to a panel 10 by forcibly sliding it along the furring strip against the flange 24 of the panel 10. As the inclined edges 47 and 48 of the lips 42 and 43 are forced against the outward edge of the flange 24, the lips 42 and 43 are wedged over the flange 24 and snap into place as the crimped portions 45 and 46 pass beyond the edge of the flange 24.

Although the advantages and methods of use of the anchor clip 31 will be clear to those skilled in the art from the above description, in utilizing the clip 31 in accordance with a preferred procedure for securing a plurality of panels 10 to supporting furring strips 26 so as to provide a facing, a panel 10 is positioned against the furring strips at one side of the area to be covered and an anchor clip is placed in each furring strip 26 and slidably moved against the freeedge of the panel 10. The lips 42 and 43 of the clips 31 are then positioned'over the free edge of the flange 24 by forcing the clips against the panel 10, as by means of a sharp blow. Another panel section 10 is then placed next to the first panel and the tongue 16 of the second panel is inserted into the socket 19 of the first panel to provide a seal and to cover the connection of the anchor clips 31 to the first panel 10. Additional anchor clips 31 are then placed in the furring strips 26 and attached to the second panel ltl in the same manner as the clips 31 were attached to the first panel, and the second panel is then moved along the furring strip 26 toward the first panel until the flange 18 on the second flange engages the portion 22 on the firstflange. This procedure is continued until the entire area is covered.

The offset flanges 33 and 34 on the clips 31 and the inclination of the flange 33 acting in conjunction with the resilient wings 35 thus provide anchor clips which may be slidably moved along the furring strips 26 after assembly thereof to the panel sections 10. Moreover, the angulated end portions 47 and 48 on the lips 42 and 43 facilitate attachment of the clips 31 to the panel sections 10 and in addition permit slidable movement'of the tongue 16 of the outer panel section .10 into the socket 19 while at the same time forcing the tongue 16 snugly against the portion 21 of the underlying panel section'lt) thereby to provide a tightly sealed joint,

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein which are within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An anchor clip for securing interengageable panels to a channeled furring strip having re-entrant lips on the edges of the side flanges thereof, comprising a rigid center section including a center arch extending throughout the length of said clip and further including a pair of co-planar flat webs respectively connected to said arch along the longitudinal edges thereof, said webs being adapted to seat in the bottom of the channel of said furring strip, said webs and the adjoining portions of said arch being deformed to rigidify said center section, a. pair of spring retaining wings respectively connected to and extending upwardly fro-m the edges of said webs remote from said arch, said wings being adapted to-engage the undersides of said lips to secure said clip to-said furring strip, a first upstanding flange on one longitudinal end of said arch for engaging the underside of one of said panels, a second upstanding flange on the other longitudinal end of said arch, said second flange being substantially higher than said first flange and having an end portion which is off-turned toward said first flange for overlapping an outwardly directed edge of'said panel, and said oflF-turned portion including a downwardly extending intermediately disposed locking portion which cooperates with the upstanding part of said second flange to form a channel in which a portion of said one panel may enter to lock said panel to said furring strip.

2. An anchor clip as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second flange leans forward toward the plane of said webs thereby to reduce tilting of said clip as it is slidably moved along said channel with a panel attached thereto.

3. An anchor clip as set forth in claim 1 wherein said off-turned portion is resilient and includes a depending portion displaced from the upstanding portion of said flange and the marginal edge of said ofl-turned portion is substantially farther than the remainder of said oil.- turned portion from the plane of said webs.

4. A metal facing for surfacing the walls of buildings, comprising a furring channel mounted on a supporting means, interengageable panels each having a socket at one end and a tongue at the opposite end, the tongue of one of said panels being received in the socket of an adjacent one of said panels, an anchor clip, said socket having an outwardly extending flange near the open end thereof, said clip having an upstanding flange disposed adjacent to the external side of the flange on said socket and having a locking portion overlapping said panel flange to secure said panels to said furring strip and said locking portion including a re-entrant intermediately disposed portion lying adjacent to the internal side of said panel flange for preventing said clip from moving relatively to the panel to which it is secured, and the marginal end of said locking portion being resilient and more remotely disposed from said socket flange in a direction parallel to said socket flange than any other part of said locking portion and resiliently engaging the inner side of the tongue on said adjacent panel to press it against the adjoining side of the socket in which it is received.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,511,074 Miller June 13, 1950 2,591,361 Knott Apr. 1, 1952 2,620,906 Ketchum Dec. 9, 1952 

